


Family

by Morpheus626



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27910153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: Synopsis: Set at the beginning of the 1982 Hot Space North American Tour, in an AU in which the lads have decided they’ll have their families along for the first few dates of the tour. A bit of a fun family vacation of sorts, right?However, traveling with that many people in one go doesn’t always go smoothly, and this time is no different for that, resulting in Freddie as the sole caretaker for six children (all under ten: Robert Deacon is 7, Michael Deacon is 4, James (who goes by Jim/Jimmy nowadays) May is 4, Laura Deacon is 3, Felix Taylor is 2, and Louisa May is a year old in this fic) on a nearly 8 hour flight from London to the first tour stop in Montreal, Canada.How bad can that be, right? That’s what Freddie’s asking himself in this, as well!
Relationships: Brian May/Chrissie Mullen, Dominique Beyrand/Roger Taylor, John Deacon/Veronica Tetzlaff
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Family

“It’ll only be for a moment!” 

“That’s fine,” Freddie said, and watched as Robert moved to stand by him at his right side. Michael followed, clutching at the leg of his trousers, staring up at John as if he was sure they were being abandoned. Laura, in John’s arms, happily moved to Freddie’s, apparently uncaring for now if Dad was leaving, so long as there was some adult to hold her. 

“Really, we just forgot...I’ve forgotten what we forgot, Ronnie!” 

Veronica smiled as she gently pushed John passed them, towards the entrance of the airport. “Thankfully I remember, so you just focus on getting us back home quickly, hm?” 

It was awkward, at first. If only in that Robert and Michael seemed to think slightly that they’d been abandoned forever with their Uncle Freddie, and if he had to judge by the looks on their faces, they weren’t sure how they felt about that. Laura was utterly, delightfully, unbothered, babbling to him and pointing at the planes visible out the window. 

“They finally ran away, did they?” Roger laughed as he walked up, Felix wiggling in his arms. “What, you want to go see everyone? Alright, go. We’ll just see how much we can bog Uncle Freddie down with children, shall we?” 

Felix toddled as fast as he could over, and Freddie set Laura down as they started to conversate in whatever odd language young children spoke in. 

“They left their luggage at home,” Freddie said. “Remembered all the children, but forgot everything else.” 

“Probably better they didn’t forget the children and bring only the luggage though,” Dom pointed out. 

“That’s fair,” Freddie smiled. “Speaking of, did you both check your things already?” 

There was a beat, and the color drained from Roger and Dom’s faces. 

“You’re joking,” Freddie laughed. “Let me guess, if I can watch Felix-” 

“We’ll be right back,” Roger promised. “Fuck’s sake, John and Ronnie can never know.” 

“Why, because then you can’t make fun of them for doing the same thing?” Freddie asked, but they were already off, headed out the doors of the airport. 

He was starting to get some looks now, but that was fair enough. He was surrounded quite literally; four children plus his own luggage made him look like a particularly odd single father, he guessed. 

“Is my dad coming back?” Robert asked softly, tugging gently at his trousers. 

“He is,” Freddie replied. “He has to, or I’d have to learn bass and play at the shows. I don’t think I can do that.” 

“What if he doesn’t come back?” Michael piped up, tugging at his trouser leg at his other side. 

“Then I suppose we could make you two play in his place,” Freddie said. “What do you think of that? You two play, and Laura can be your bass tech.” 

“She can’t do that, she’s too little,” Robert said. 

“Am not!” Laura turned from her half-nonsense conversation with Felix for that, an admirable amount of multitasking for someone as little as she was. 

“Are too,” Michael muttered. “I could do it.” 

“That’s settled then,” Freddie said. 

“What if Uncle Roger doesn’t come back either?” Robert added.

“Then I suppose we put Felix somewhere else on the road crew, and I learn how to drum and sing,” Freddie said. “Uncle Roger knows how, I could probably learn how to as well, don’t you think?” 

“I don’t know,” Robert giggled. “Maybe Felix can play them.” 

“You think so? He’s awfully small,” Freddie said as he reached to snag Felix back towards them as he tried to wander off. “What do you say Felix? You can hit things, right?” 

Felix however, seemed far more upset at having his wandering plans thwarted, and pressed his face into Freddie’s shoulder as he whimpered. 

“I wonder when Uncle Brian will get here,” he muttered, half to the kids and half to himself. It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle the kids, but kids could be easily bored, and the last thing he wanted to do was try and chase down four of them in opposite directions while hauling his suitcases. 

“I could find him,” Robert offered. 

“I don’t know if he’s even here yet,” Freddie said. “You just stay put here with me.” 

“’Kay, but I’m the oldest, so if we gotta find him, then I can do it,” Robert said. “I really can!” 

“I know you can,” Freddie soothed. “But I don’t want any of you wandering away on me, alright?” 

“I’m _seven_ ,” Robert stressed. “I can do stuff on my own.” 

“Can you drive?” Freddie asked. “Because I can’t.” 

“...What?” Robert giggled. 

“I can’t drive; you said you’re seven and ‘can do stuff on your own’, so I presume you’ll take over driving all of us around,” Freddie smiled. 

That was Robert giggling and happy, but Michael and Laura had started a game of ‘who can push the other over harder, over and over again’, and Felix was actively crying now, squirming to be put down. 

“Why don’t we talk about what we’re excited to see on tour,” Freddie tried as he fought to keep Felix in his arms. “We’re going to the United States, that’s exciting, isn’t it?” 

Not a response from any of them, not even Robert, who was now arguing with Michael over pushing Laura, who was trying to push both of them down even as Robert argued in her defense. 

“Moments like these, I think of my mum,” Freddie told Felix, who faced him with tears in his eyes, hiccupping with frustrated sobs. “She only had two, but I’m sure we had our moments like this. Hell, I know we did! And she just dealt with it. Isn’t that something?” 

Felix _screamed_ , and tossed his head into Freddie’s shoulder hard enough to hurt. 

“The feeling is mutual,” Freddie sighed, waving at a couple staring at them.

“What on Earth is all of this?” Brian’s voice, gentle but just loud enough to be heard over the din, was the best sound. 

“ _This_ is our two bandmates can only handle remembering one set of things at a time,” Freddie replied. “Either children, or luggage. But not both.” 

James trailed by Brian’s legs, and Louisa stared from his arms, eyes wide at the sight in front of her. 

Brian laughed. “Okay, but really, what are they off doing?” 

Freddie stared at him, and waited. 

Chrissie shrugged as she set down their luggage. “Well, it happens. I mean, I suppose it could. We’ve got everything though! Children, luggage...” 

She patted her purse, then dug through it. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Did you take the tickets out of my purse?” 

Brian shook his head. “I didn’t know you had them in there!” 

“I did, because otherwise you’d have forgotten them in the house somewhere,” Chrissie sighed. “But apparently that wasn’t foolproof a method either, and I’m no better.” 

Brian looked to Freddie, then to his kids, and winced. “Fred, you know you’re my best friend-” 

“I can’t hold both Louisa and Felix,” Freddie sighed. “Especially not with this one so upset.” 

“Hang on,” Chrissie said, and held up a small pop-up stroller. “We brought it for ours of course, but it should keep him restrained.” 

It was a mess of baby-exchanging: Freddie handed her Felix, took Louisa from Brian, while Brian popped open the stroller, put Felix into it, and it took him and Chrissie fighting to get him strapped in. 

“Can you be good for Uncle Freddie?” Brian folded in on himself to lean down and ask James. “We’ll be back soon, after we get the tickets.” 

James nodded, and blessedly distracted Michael from his debate with Robert of ‘should I be allowed to push my sister over multiple times because I’m bored.’ 

For a moment, it was quiet, and he didn’t feel panicked as Brian and Chrissie rushed off, leaving him with the rest of their luggage and all six children. 

Then the announcement for their flight came over the tannoy, and the panic rushed back. 

“Robert, you remember how you’re the oldest and very independent and helpful?” Freddie asked him quickly, hoping his frustration and worry wasn’t coming through. 

Robert nodded. 

“Can you push Felix towards the gate if I help you some?” Freddie continued. “I don’t have enough hands to hold hands with all of you.” 

It was like watching a little mini-version of John then, and if he hadn’t been focused on figuring out how he was going to keep them all from missing their flight, he would have had a moment to enjoy how endearing and sweet it was. 

“Michael, you and James gotta hold hands,” Robert instructed. 

“Why?” Michael asked. 

“Cuz otherwise you’ll be lost in the airport forever,” Robert said simply, as if it was a well-known and certain fact. “That’s how they get the pilots who fly the planes, I think. It’s just kids that got lost here.” 

“That’s kind of a lot of lost children,” Freddie couldn’t help but comment, but Robert only shrugged at him. 

“Laura, you gotta hold hands with me,” Robert continued. “And Uncle Freddie’ll help me push Felix and hold Louisa and all the suitcases, and then we’ll get on the plane.” 

“Well, we need to wait for your parents,” Freddie chuckled. “But we should at least be in the right place, and maybe I can convince them to hold the flight for us...” 

“I got our tickets,” Robert said, and pulled three tightly folded tickets from his small jeans pocket. “And I saw Felix’s in the pocket on his overalls, and I bet James has his and Louisa’s.” 

“I was gonna tell Daddy, but I forgot,” James said softly. “But I only have ours, not his and Mommy’s. I grabbed them off the table this morning.” 

“And you’ve got your ticket,” Robert said. “So we can get on the plane and meet everyone in America!” 

As if by the grace of some god, a flight attendant with her own suitcase in hand walked over. “I’m sorry, but I-. Well, I recognized you and I know you’re on the list for the flight I’m on today, and you just look like you need an extra set of hands.” 

“I can’t grab the suitcases,” Freddie admitted miserably. “I was going to come running back for them once I got the kids to the gate.” 

“How about I take a couple, and get us some more help?” the flight attendant offered, and he’d never nodded so fast. 

It was slightly awkward, traipsing towards their gate with a small herd of children, the flight attendant, and two others she’d grabbed helping to carry his luggage as well as Brian and Chrissie’s, but they made it. 

“We could get you all on,” she said as they arrived. “We’ll get this luggage on the plane, help get you and the kids settled. I’m sure the rest of the band will be back shortly.” 

“They said a few minutes,” Freddie said as he adjusted Louisa, blessedly, wonderfully calm, Louisa, onto his hip. “It’s been quite a bit longer now.” 

“We won’t leave them behind,” she promised, and it was that promise that made him feel secure enough to get himself and the kids boarded. At least then they could sit down, even if they’d be playing a game of seat changing later once everyone else arrived. 

\---

“Uncle Freddie?” James, sat on his left, asked. “What happens if the plane crashes?” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Freddie muttered, quiet enough that the kids couldn’t hear. 

He had Louisa and Felix awkwardly sharing his lap for now, James on his left, Michael on his right, and Laura and Robert in the row behind them (which Robert was incredibly proud of, still gushing away about how excited he was to tell John and Ronnie how grown up he’d been and how he’d helped Uncle Freddie.) 

“The plane won’t crash,” Freddie replied. 

“But planes can crash though,” James said. “I heard Daddy talk about it once, how planes can crash like space ships, and how there’s stuff to make it not go on fire right away, but the people inside-” 

Michael was looking pale the longer James talked, and Freddie could sense the impending panicked wailing that was sure to happen if James kept on. 

“That’s all true,” Freddie interrupted. “But ours won’t.”

“Because it’s a really good plane?” Michael asked, so quietly he could just barely be heard. 

“Exactly,” Freddie said. “We paid extra for a plane that can’t crash.” 

“I don’t think that’s true!” Robert called over the seats. “That’s not how planes work! My dad read me a book about them, and-” 

“We never did talk about how exciting it is to be going to the States, did we?” Freddie interrupted again. “I’m excited to go there, aren’t all of you?” 

“As long as we don’t crash,” James said. “And what are we going to do there?” 

“We’re going to perform,” Freddie said. “Play music for lots of lovely people!” 

“Yeah, but what about us?” Robert asked. “That’s what you’re doing, and what our dads are doing. What are _we_ going to be doing?” 

“I suppose your mums will take you around wherever we are, and you’ll get to explore, maybe go shopping,” Freddie replied, ignoring the glares of other passengers. They had been talked out of a private flight for this one, told to save it for the ride home instead. He was regretting that now. “We’re starting in Canada, actually. Montreal. I bet you’ll all find something you like about being there.” 

“I don’t know where that is,” James said. 

“Well, it’s near America. On top,” Freddie said.

James gave him a look that let him know that that meant exactly nothing to him. 

“The point is, you’ll all like it,” Freddie said as he peered down the aisle, hoping he’d see everyone else boarding. 

“Mr. Mercury,” the flight attendant who had helped them, Theresa, and now thankfully seemed to consider it her mission to help them for the rest of the flight, said as she approached. “We’ve had word from the rest of the band.” 

“They’re nearly here?” 

She shook her head and winced. “Mr. and Mrs. Deacon were, but were in a minor fender bender on the way back. We’ve moved them to a private flight tomorrow. Mr. Taylor and his partner, Dominique? Lovely woman, may I say, we talked for a bit on the phone; they decided to stay and go with the Deacons on the flight tomorrow as they fear they won’t make it back in time, and I’ve been told we can only delay ten minutes more.” 

“And Brian and Chrissie? They’re nearly here then,” Freddie said, a smile on his face, but his muscles were tense in a brand new sort of panic over the idea of being alone in Canada with six children. 

“They couldn’t find their tickets, and I did let them know that their son had the ones for himself and his siblings, so that was a relief for them,” Theresa replied. “But as a result, with the time crunch, we couldn’t arrange new tickets for them so late, so-” 

“They’re going on the private flight tomorrow,” Freddie finished with a sigh. 

She nodded. “If you need anything, let me know. Extra snacks, crayons, whatever. We’ll get all of you through this and safely to Montreal, I promise.” 

James looked up at him, and psychically, he begged him not to say what he knew James was thinking.

“Uncle Freddie, what if the plane crashes and we don’t ever see our mommies or daddies again?” 

\---

He had never thought about his strength in multitasking, but he could think of nothing else now. 

Louisa and Felix had finally fallen asleep against him at about hour three of the flight. It meant they were still out by the time dinner came around, but none of it was really anything you could safely give a one and two year old, so he planned to find a way to get them fed once they landed. Not ideal, but it wasn’t as if he had much to give them aside from the packets of crackers and some water Theresa had given him to put aside, and he wasn’t waking them only to disappoint them with that. That could wait until they woke up naturally. 

The rest, however, needed to eat, and he had only two hands. 

“I don’t really like peas,” James sighed as he stared at the tin, square, sectioned plate. “Do I have to eat them?” 

“Try them at least, so I can tell your parents you ate more than crisps and cake,” Freddie replied. Said crisp bags and small packages of cake were safely held on his tray, away from tiny prying hands who would surely eat just that and nothing else if given half the chance. 

“I ate all mine, can I have my cake?” Robert shouted over the seats.

“Volume, Robert,” Freddie scolded gently. “And did you really? Laura, is he lying?” 

Laura giggled, and that was answer enough. 

“Keep at your dinner, and then you can have the cake, I swear,” Freddie said. “Make sure your sister eats too, please! I can’t get back there, otherwise I’d do that myself.” 

“Is this what being a grown up is like, all the time?” Robert asked.

“Sort of,” Freddie replied. “Sometimes, at least.” 

“I think I’d like to go back to being six then,” Robert declared.

“Wouldn’t we all,” Freddie murmured as he carefully turned to Michael. “Well, look at you! Thank you for eating so well.” 

“I just really want cake,” Michael said, his tone shameful. 

“Can I tell you a secret?” Freddie asked, and waited a moment for Michael to nod. “That’s why most adults eat well too. We all want cake, but you can’t have just that when you’re my age. People expect you to eat your veg and be very responsible before you even look at cake.” 

“That sounds terrible,” Michael said gravely. 

“You get used to it,” Freddie reassured him. “Think you can wait till the others are done, then we hand out dessert?” 

Michael nodded again, and Freddie silently thanked the universe that John and Ronnie had parented so well. 

Cake, however, turned out to be the answer to getting the rest of them to sleep. As soon as they’d finished and the plates were taken away, they all fell silent. 

Which was lovely, except-

“Legs gone numb?” Theresa whispered as she walked up to them. 

Freddie nodded. “It’s alright. There’s only, what, four more hours until we land?” 

She giggled quietly. “I can get the other attendant, we could take the two in your lap, give you a moment to stand?” 

“Might wake these two then,” Freddie said and carefully gestured to James and Michael. “Can’t have that.” 

“Can’t have you dying of an embolism in your legs either,” Theresa noted. 

“...I suppose if you don’t mind holding them for a minute,” Freddie said. 

A few moments later he’d handed over a half-woken Louisa and Felix to Theresa and her fellow attendant, moving as mindfully as he could to not wake James and Michael, even though his legs were absolutely rubber by now. 

“Take your time,” Theresa encouraged as she used her free hand to retrieve the crackers and water from his seat. “Use the restroom, walk the aisle some. We’ll see if we can’t get these two to eat by the time you’re back.” 

He felt somewhat bad leaving them, but all the same, even a bathroom break alone was oddly freeing. He hadn’t ever paid much mind to Ronnie and Dom and Chrissie talking about that, mentioning how each moment they got alone during the day was a gift, but he felt like he was starting to get it now, though admittedly at a much milder degree. 

Even so, he found himself rushing back as soon as he had feeling back in his legs. 

“They didn’t eat much, but we got water in them at least,” Theresa fretted as she handed him back Louisa, then passed Felix over from the other attendant. “I can call some places in Montreal, arrange to have baby food brought to your hotel, if you’d like?” 

“Only if it’s not too much trouble,” Freddie replied. “I could-” 

He had nearly said ‘take them to the store’, but it hit him that he would be dragging six tired, fussy, not-that-well-fed children through a store in a strange country. 

It was as if Theresa had guessed what he meant to say, and she shook her head. “No trouble at all. Besides, what a story I’ll have to tell the family when I get back home!” 

“It is one for the ages, isn’t it?” he chuckled. “Can’t imagine what everyone else must be thinking, but then again, I don’t know that I care. I’m just grateful we’ve made it this far.” 

“And we’ll be there before you know it,” Theresa said. 

\---

He had hoped he might be able to later say the remaining four hours had passed quickly, more like four minutes.

But no, they’d passed like exactly four hours, and they were all feeling it by the time they landed. 

“Are we going to bed?” Robert asked softly as they followed Theresa through the airport towards the taxi bay. “I think it’s past my bedtime.” 

“It’s past mine too,” Freddie said. “So yes, we are. We’ll get to the hotel, get you all settled, I’ll get Louisa and Felix fed...but the rest of you are free to sleep as soon as we get you into bed.”

“I can help feed them if you want,” Robert offered, and it was so achingly, sweetly, like his father that it nearly brought tears to Freddie’s eyes. He was exhausted, but John had taught him well, and so he was still thinking of helping, even so. 

“That’s sweet of you, but I think you did a good job being grown up today,” Freddie replied. “So you can take a break and just be a kid the rest of the night, if you’d rather.” 

“I think I would like that,” Robert admitted. 

“Then all you have to worry about is helping take the suitcases in, getting into your pajamas, and brushing your teeth,” Freddie said. “Let me worry about the little ones.” 

Which was really all that kept him awake as he wished Theresa well (and made a mental note to call the airline and tell them to reward her for her help), and settled in for the thankfully not horribly long ride to the hotel. It kept him going through the hauling of the children and the luggage inside (and bless the hotel workers who rushed from behind the front desk to help him), and then through waiting for the baby food to be delivered. 

“I know, you want to sleep,” Freddie sighed as he watched Louisa rub at her eyes with tiny balled up fists. “I would love to sleep too, but you’ve barely eaten. Just a little, for me?” 

Felix watched from one of the two cribs the hotel staff had dragged up and into his room, eyes heavy. 

“You want to try instead?” Freddie asked him. “Should we let Louisa lie down?” 

Felix yawned, and flopped down into his crib without a sound. 

“Fine,” Freddie said. “We’ll try again in the morning, alright?” 

Louisa listened, but didn’t seem to care, as he lay her down in the other crib. 

The other kids didn’t so much as move, all out and sleeping heavily. The hotel had moved him into an open room that had two beds, plus the room for the cribs. Blessedly, there had been no argument from the older four in sharing one of the two beds, all of them snuggled up like kittens. 

He was beyond excited for his bed, even if it felt like hell dragging himself around, trying to get ready as quietly as possible. 

Finally, he could lay down, and sleep. 

Except he couldn’t keep his eyes shut for more than a half second before snapping them open and looking over to the bed and cribs. 

He turned, and let out an angry growl into his pillow. Every mention his mother or the Queen significant others had ever made about children dying in their sleep was in his head now. 

“They’ll be fine,” he hissed under his breath to himself. “Go to sleep!” 

But his eyes wouldn’t close again, and there was just enough of a shot of adrenaline to keep him up. 

However, he did have a book that Roger had given him a few days prior, and he could read that if nothing else. Something science fiction, though Roger swore ‘different from Dune’ (since his attempt at reading Roger’s copy of that hadn’t gone swimmingly.) 

He was trying to make sense of the words, trying to enjoy the story, when a little hand touched his bare foot. 

He didn’t mean to jump, but it was utterly a reflex. “Robert! What are you doing up?” 

“Can’t sleep,” Robert whispered. “What’re you reading?” 

“Something Uncle Roger thinks I’ll like,” Freddie said. 

“I thought you were tired?” 

“I am,” Freddie said. He wasn’t about to go into the intricacies of his fear that somehow his friends’ children would die under his care, in the night. “But not enough to sleep yet.” 

“Could you read to us?” 

Freddie looked over, and laughed. 

The babies were still asleep, their soft breathing audible in the quiet of the room. But the older children, minus Robert of course who was stood at his bedside, were all awake, looking over at him, as they waited for an answer. 

“Honestly, I have no idea if this story is appropriate for kids,” Freddie said. “But I tell you what I’ll do. I’ll read it anyway, and any bits you shouldn’t hear, I’ll make something up. How about that?” 

Robert nodded and bounced back into the bed. 

He settled onto the end of the bed, cognizant of the many sets of eyes on him. “Now, this is set...well, I don’t remember. I’m half-asleep, I think. Let’s start all the way over...”   
\---

He woke up to a gentle prodding at his shoulder, and horrible crick in his neck. 

Sitting up from where he had apparently dropped back on the end of the bed, his neck over the edge of it, was painful, but he tried not to wince as he moved. Again, many small eyes were on him, and he didn’t want to upset or alarm them. 

“The lady from the front desk said Uncle Brian called,” Robert said. “I hope it’s okay I answered the door to talk to her.” 

“It’s okay,” Freddie yawned. “What did Uncle Brian say?” 

“That they’re hoping to be here by tonight, and that they hope we’re being good for you,” Robert replied. 

“He shouldn’t worry,” Freddie said. “We’ll have a good report to give them; you’ve all been angels, all things considered.” 

He stood, and fumbled with the card in the bedside drawer that held internal phone numbers for the hotel. “Have you ever made a phone call all on your own, Robert?” 

He nodded. 

“How about you handle the actual call for room service, and we’ll all tell you what to say we want, hm?” 

He handed the menu book over to the other three older kids, and let them crowd around Robert, with them occasionally turning to ask him what a word here or there was on the menu. 

Was it reckless, letting four children (not counting Louisa and Felix, who he was sorry to say would be getting more of the baby food from the night prior whether they liked it or not) go wild and order whatever they wanted for breakfast? 

Probably, but he certainly wasn’t up to taking them outside of the hotel, and maybe, just maybe, a mini feast of sorts would help keep them entertained in the hotel until their parents got there. 

And clearly, it would make them happy. Considering the last day or so they’d had, they deserved that. 


End file.
